Solios Thermal has a worldwide reputationin thermal engineering: designing, supplyingand installing advanced equipment for thealuminium industries in everycontinent. Such equipment includes melting,holding and heat treatment furnaces inaddition to the IDEX® range of decoaterkilns. The company operates in a highlyspecialised field with a limited number ofcompetitors. There are companies thatmake equipment for particular processstages, but only Solios Thermal, part of theSolios Division of Groupe Fives-Lille, suppliesthe complete solution. Solios Thermalemploys 100 people worldwide and operatesglobally from its purpose-built facility inWombourne, West Midlands. Like so manyother successful companies, Solios Thermalis constantly seeking to drive unnecessarycost out of its operation. This is why it hasimplemented an Autodesk Inventor 3Ddesign solution supplied and supported byAlta Systems, one of Autodesk’s mostsuccessful resellers. As Derek Lewis, MISManager at Solios Thermal puts it, "Inventoris the quantum leap that we have beenwaiting for."

Better design means fewer changesPaul Hughes, CAD Manager at SoliosThermal says, "A lot of our equipment isassembled on site. This means that no oneever sees it until it is completed. Unless thedesign is right, there is a real risk of missingsite deadlines. Up to now,‘knife and forking’on site has been the industry norm." SoliosThermal was an early adopter of 2D CAD,although its initial system was phased outin favour of AutoCAD® in 1995. Derek Lewissays, "For best results we needed everyoneon CAD. AutoCAD was the only choice. Weneeded affordable compatibility across thegroup, with our customers and with oursuppliers." He adds, "But we have to movewith the times to keep our lead, hence ourinterest in 3D design." The design teams atSolios Thermal were aware that with a 3DCAD system they could better visualise and

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Solios Thermal turns up the heat with Autodesk Inventor®

check the functioning of their designs aswell as communicate them to clients andmore easily win design approval. Betterdesign means fewer design changes duringmanufacturing and better communicationwith site staff with the responsibility forequipment installation and commissioning- often many thousands of miles from thefactory. However, up to that point, possiblesolutions were expensive. From vendordemonstrations it seemed that these high-end systems were more appropriate forlarge enterprises making consumerelectronics, vehicles and aeroplanes.

Exactly the right demonstrationSolios Thermal’s first venture into 3D camewith Autodesk® Mechanical Desktop®. PaulHughes again, "We carried out a detailedevaluation of its capabilities. Following thetraining, we could see the benefits. Wecould actually see that everything fits in 3D.If the model was right, so were the draw-ings." However, Inventor was emerging asthe product for the future, offering ease oflearning and use and a fast rate ofdevelopment. Two years ago, the companyhad a free 30-day trial of Inventor. This wasfollowed by attendance at a workshopgiven by Alta Systems at their offices inWest Bromwich. Dave Flavell, SoliosThermal’s Technical Manager and his teamwent in force. He recalls, "Inventor was aneye-opener, especially as the demonstration,which focussed on fabrication and assembly,was exactly right. Inventor was just what wewere looking for." Things moved quicklyfrom that point. A report convinced the MDto authorise the acquisition of an Inventorsystem. Paul Hughes adds, "We were alreadyan existing Autodesk customer andupgrading to Inventor seemed the wayforward. As we carried out our evaluation,we were contacted by at least three well-known `market leaders in 3D' CAD vendors.To be honest each software package hadmerit, but in reality Inventor won handsdown in regard to ease of use. We were

"Inventor is the quantum leapthat we have been waiting for."Derek Lewis, MIS Manager,Solios Thermal

"Inventor was an eye-opener,especially as the demonstration,which focussed on fabricationand assembly, was exactlyright. Inventor was just whatwe were looking for."Dave Flavell, TechnicalManager, Solios Thermal

"With Inventor’s kinematics ithas been possible to check thateverything fits and worksproperly. We now get it rightfirst time on site, wherever itmay be."Paul Hughes, CAD Manager,Solios Thermal.

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Solios Thermal use Autodesk Inventor® to enhance itsreputation in thermal engineering.Quantum LeapAluminium was first recognised and named in 1808 by the British engineer Sir HumphreyDavey. It is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust and is produced at aglobal rate of nearly 60,000 tonnes per day. In less than 200 years, this metal hastransformed the world: it is light, ductile and malleable. It is an excellent conductor ofheat and electricity. It can be cast, rolled or extruded into an infinite variety of shapes. Itis corrosion resistant. It can be recycled repeatedly with no loss of properties. SoliosThermal, the new name for Stein Atkinson Stordy, is all about aluminium. It is thecompany’s justifiable claim that, "…we melt it, hold it, refine it, cast it and ultimatelyrecycle it."

producing working drawings in a few days,instead of weeks as we felt would havebeen the case with other systems."

Opening the door to opportunityInventor was installed and ready for use bythe designers immediately on their returnfrom training. Shortly afterwards, SoliosThermal secured an order for thereplacement of two furnace doors andassociated lifting gear for HillsideAluminium in South Africa. Paul Hughessays, "This was the ideal starting point. Weused customer-supplied drawings,designed and analysed the door andproved to the customer that it would work.In fact, the initial door as specified by thecustomer would have fouled the plant’sroof trusses. Thanks to Inventor, we foundthis before we went to site. On siterectification would have cost a fortune."Hughes adds, "This was a new customer, soin a sense it was a brave step. It was a smalljob, but because of the way it went in wenow have orders from them for completenew furnaces."

Inventor helps win ordersHow was the initial Inventor experienceoverall? Paul Hughes reports, "At first wewere taking longer to produce workingdrawings from Inventor compared to 2DAutoCAD. As with any new software, thelearning curve was steep, but we soon gotup to speed. As we manufacture a proportionof our smaller product designs here in ourown workshops, we have the advantage offeedback directly from the shop floor. Wefound the shop floor engineers welcomedthe 3D views we added to our 2D workingdrawings. Design intent was now perfectlyclear, eliminating the possibility of misinter-pretation. The issue of `blue' job cards, apractice that indicates drawing errors andauthorises drawing modifications, hasreduced significantly since the introductionof Inventor. We are innovating. Potentialcustomers now see what they are going toget before they get it. We use Inventor toshow prospective customers their ownshop layout with our equipment in place. Ithas been particularly valuable to showcustomers how platform elevations, accessladder positions and handrailing areascomply with health and safety requirements.Such discussions at the proposal stageallow non-engineering personnel tounderstand the design without the need tointerpret 2D drawings. We are sure this useof Inventor helps win orders."

Saving days on siteThe IDEX® System is a thermal de-lacqueringsystem that removes organic materials suchas paints, oils, plastic and rubber from thesurface of shredded aluminium scrap. Thekiln consists of inner and outer tubesvariable in length and diameter depending

on throughput required. The shreddedmaterial is introduced by an inlet chute andbrought to temperature by radiant &convective heat from gases passingthrough a concentric rotating tube. Theorganic coatings are volatilized, then carriedby the gas stream into the afterburnerwhere their energy is released bycombustion. The gases are then recirculatedthrough the tube making the wholeprocess highly thermally efficient.Movement of the material through the kilnis controlled initially by a scroll and then byflight plates fixed to the outer tube. Properoperation of the kiln relies on criticalclearances between the inner tube, scrolland inlet chute. It has always been difficultto position the inlet chute at the correctangle so that it avoids contact with theaxially mounted inner tube and the rotatingscroll. If handrailing, platforms and stairwaysare required, the kiln is too large to betransported in one piece to site and sosignificant amounts of on site fitting work isusually required. Paul Hughes is happy withthe outcome, "With Inventor’s kinematics ithas been possible to check that everythingfits and works properly. We now get it rightfirst time on site, wherever it may be."

New design standardsInventor has had a significant impact onSolios Thermal: directly in terms of betterdesign, reduction in engineering changesand on site rectification; a significant butconfidential reduction in the cost of ‘gettingit right – first time’. In addition, Derek Lewisnotes, "It has been a chance to review andupdate our procedures to take advantageof the way Inventor works. You do need tospend time understanding the process andadapting to it; don’t just plunge in withoutthinking about it." He adds, "We are now inthe process of setting new design standardsand we are looking again at modularisingour designs – something previously notpossible."

Never been done beforeSolios Thermal is now extending the use ofInventor into new areas. According to DerekLewis, "Within a few weeks of starting aproject for Pechiney Rhenalu our siteengineers were using a laptop and videoprojector at design review meetings. Now,

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everyone knows exactly what they arelooking at and there are no surprises.Inventor has become an essential tool forsolving language problems." Paul Hughessupports this, "Our customers tell us thishas never been done before. Some of themare now considering using Inventorthemselves."

Motivation, commitment and willingnessPaul Hughes has advice for those thinkingof following the Solios Thermal example:"Choose a 3D CAD system with a large userbase and with proven software undercontinuous development. Don’t rush thetraining; we started with a basic course,went on an assembly course after threeweeks of consolidation, then a drafting anddetailing course after a further six weeksconsolidation." He also recommends: "Don'tforce new technologies on to people whoaren't overly keen to use it. Identify keypersonnel in the design teams who want tobe part of your new technology.Enthusiasm is a great quality and ensurespeople will approach problems with apositive attitude and look for solutions,rather than excuses. It’s not the age of theuser that counts; it’s the motivation, thecommitment, the willingness." His finalword? "Inventor will do for 3D whatAutoCAD did for 2D."

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